Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph sits on the field after injuring his groin in the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Saints at the Superdome in New Orleans on Sept. 21, 2014. (Pioneer Press: Ben Garvin)

The wait is over for Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph, who is poised to return Sunday at Chicago after a six-game absence following hernia surgery.

“I would expect he’ll play,” coach Mike Zimmer said Friday.

Rudolph has not played since Week 3 at New Orleans. He has worked just three regular-season quarters with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

However, Rudolph insisted this week their performance gap does nothing more than motivate him to make it easier for the rookie to succeed.

“When you have a kid that’s as talented as Teddy, he just seems to make things happen like we’ve been playing together the last four years,” Rudolph said. “Just running around the last few weeks, the kid’s really special. As skill position players we feel we have to do everything we can to make him look good because he does so many things really well.”

Surgeons on Sept. 25 re-attached Rudolph’s abdominal muscles to his pelvic bone after he aggravated a nagging core injury that flared early in training camp.

He has 10 receptions for 96 yards and one touchdown.

Briefly

Running back Jerick McKinnon practiced Friday after being limited the previous day because of a lower back injury. But Zimmer said he has no concerns about him playing Sunday. Tackle Mike Harris (ankle) did not practice. Defensive end Scott Crichton (hip) was limited. Both were listed as questionable.

Brian Murphy has been on the Pioneer Press sports staff since 2000, migrating from the Detroit Free Press, where he covered police, courts and sports for four years. Murphy was the Minnesota Wild/NHL beat writer from 2002 to 2008 and has covered the Vikings as a reporter and columnist since 2009. Murphy is a Detroit native and Wayne State University graduate.

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